COMING to LANCASTER COUNTY in 2026
The Underground Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
331 Locust Street • Columbia •
An 8,000 sq. ft. Immersive Multimedia Visitor Experience
"A Conspiracy of Good"
For more than 50 years prior to the Civil War, the Susquehanna River harbored an incredible secret…
Freedom seekers fleeing bondage from Maryland, Virginia and points south knew that—if they made their way to COLUMBIA—they would find an entire town devoted to ensuring that they would never experience slavery again.
Everyone from lawyers, bankers and business leaders to shopkeepers, day laborers and ordinary citizens played a role in this extraordinary conspiracy…
A Conspiracy of Good
Eyes on Opening in 2026
The Underground Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania will be located at 331 Locust Street, a short walk from the Wright’s Ferry Mansion, the Columbia Historic Preservation Society, the 1869 Market House and other historic structures that already draw thousands of people a year to downtown Columbia. Plans for the 8,000 sq. ft. attraction include a detailed interpretation of abolitionist and anti-slavery activity in the state, from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, with a particular focus on the Columbians engaged in a “conspiracy of good” that spanned generations—all told through immersive, interactive leading-edge exhibit technology.
Coming in 2026:
Underground Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
Decades before the term “Underground Railroad” came into use...
Pennsylvanians had already established a series of safe houses and methods of transportation to move “fugitives slaves” toward freedom. Every day, researchers and scholars are uncovering evidence of a network that stretched from the Delaware River to Lake Erie.
The epicenter of this audacious Conspiracy of Good was the Susquehanna River town of Columbia…the future home of The Underground Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
The Underground Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, located in the heart of Columbia’s downtown retail district, invites visitors to experience the story of the Keystone State’s game-changing role in the American Abolitionist movement—in the very places where thousands of people drew their First Breath of Freedom.
The development group for the museum is the Underground Railroad Center of Columbia Pennsylvania, a 501(c)3 nonprofit with offices at 430 Walnut St., Columbia, PA, 17512.
Join the Conspiracy of Good.
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Plan
Interested in being on the ground floor of planning, marketing, promoting, and bringing the first museum of its kind to life? Join a PLAN committee.
Give
Have artifacts, time, or finances to invest in the Underground Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania? GIVE to our 501(c)3 museum initiative!
